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Summary: A Blast From Internet Past
Review: Clifford Stoll's Silicon Snake Oil: Second Thoughts on the Information Highway, raises some legitimate concerns about the Internet for 1995-and I stress for 1995. Most of his warnings about the Internet were rather outdated, and seemed foolish in today's computer age. With computer technology advancing so quickly, books about the Internet can become dated quite quickly, and that is exactly what I found in this case. Stoll discusses some of the major concerns that people had in the mid-90s about the emerging Internet phenomenon, including issues centering around efficiency and security. Perhaps these arguments were realistic for computer users about five years ago, but developing technologies quickly remedied these, and made the Internet a much more efficient resource for business, communication, entertainment--you name it. I hate to criticize a book merely for the fact that it is far outdated, but I just can't give a great review to a book full of statements and suggestions that no longer hold any weight!
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Summary: The Art and Science of Logic Takes a Fatal Blow
Review: This book contains a veritable catalogue of every fallacy known to the art and science of logic. As a treatise meant to persuade the reader, its reasoning and language is nothing short of ridiculous. He fails to establish any sort of common ground or reliability. Then he wallows in abusive Ad Hominum, discrediting pro-technology positions by insulting those who hold it. He introduces a dozen red herrings, wasting time justifying conclusions irrelevant to the issues at hand. The book erects an army of straw men as it attempts to justify its rejection of positions by creating then discrediting different and usually weaker positions. More than anything it is a gallery of appeals to emotion, attempting to rationalize its conclusions by appealing to the sentiment of the audience. (There is enough thickly sweet sentiment in every chapter to make Cicero proud.) I could go on, but I'm already leaving this review barren of specific examples in order to deliver as much warning as I can in as few words: this book is nothing more than an irrational emotional outburst against computers and the Internet. It contains no compelling argument, and will drown you in sentimental prose as eye-rolling as any grocery store romance novel. Do not expect Stoll to be your rational, level-headed guide to the dangers of technology. Do not expect thoughtfully compiled evidence, articulate and clever argument, and a reasonable conclusion. Should he have had anything to say, he abandoned it from the first sentence of his project to a weak, wandering essay on "feelings" alone.
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Summary: can we turn our backs on computer network ?
Review: The book is about Stoll's perspective on the hidden costs of new information technology, especially on the role of computer networking in our lives. Instead of viewing computers and networks as good components to make a better society, Stoll's commentary actually supposes that computers and networks are frustrating, expensive, and unreliable.Can we just simply turn our backs on the network? Why? Because according to Stoll, [computer networks] isolate us from one another and cheapen the meaning of actual experience. They work against literacy and creativity. They undercut our schools and libraries(p.3). Although the Internet provides easier life to our society, a society deals with people, not computers. Human interactions and contacts involve with belonging. Of course, computer networks may also establish a community with the interaction, such as cybersex and cyber-relationship. However, this type of community is without church, cafe or theater. Yes, it has plenty of human contact, but no humanity. Then, what is missing from this neighborhood? We chat without speaking, smile without grinning, and hug without touching. We lose the real life experience and the humanity! Throughout the book, Stoll's basic mode of argument is to compare two functional techniques: a computational technique (ex. email) and a less-computational technique (ex. postal service). Stoll intents to highlight various positive aspects of the latter technique that are missing in the former. For example, the post office allows a variety of style on envelops, signatures, letterheads, checks, and logos. With the email technique, everyone and every business use the same and uniform style to communicate - ASCII text. The only difference between your messages and others' is the contents. Similarly, Stoll applies this style of argument on the comparisons of libraries with and without computer networks, a classroom with and without computers, and typewrites versus word processors. It is an entertaining and a thought-provoking book. Stoll cares about what happens to our networked neighborhood, and more importantly, what is happening in our larger society while facing the wave of computer networks. "Computers themselves don't bother me; I am vexed by the culture in which they are enshrined(p.3). No one who is interested in such issue will regard reading Stoll's book.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting thoughts but too many tangents
Review: In Silicon Snake OIl, Clifford Stoll brings up several interesting and thought-provoking points. There is no plot in this meditative work, Stoll wanders from one idea to another, taking his mind wherever the next tangent leads. Howard Rheingold states Stoll's main theme effectively in his review of the book, "computer/online enthusiasts should turn off their computers and get a life." Stoll begins his labyrinthine mental trip by acknowledging his own weakness for computers. He makes it clear to the reader that he is addicted to the Internet and the information it holds, despite the fact that the information on the Web is not reliable, ungoverned, and mostly junk. He notes that there is a disregard for proper grammar, spelling and sentence formation that is accepted on the part of computer users. No one seems to expect anyone else to edit the phrases that spiral out from hundreds of thousands of keyboards every day. Stoll also notes the difficulty of using help features. Most of the early help programs were written in cryptic language that held novice computer users at arm's distance. Although Stoll is correct in his statement that few aspects of daily life actually require the use of a computer and that the beautiful parts of society, such as libraries, and schools are threatened with the advent of the computer, I find most of his criticism negated by his own admission of Internet addiction. Essentially, he criticizes others dependence on the computer as he surfs the Web and types his book on the computer. I also found his ramblings to be disjointed and repetitive though sometimes compelling. Overall, I would not recommend this book for those looking for a fast, gripping read or the type of reader who has to read every line. Stoll offers some interesting ideas but at the cost of lucid and organized prose.
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Summary: The Internet will not be the same.
Review: Clifford Stoll's "Silicon Snake Oil" is an interesting and entertaining book to read because it is written in story-like style and he talks about one technology that almost everyone is using right now: the Internt. With his experiemce in the Internet and technology development, Stoll talks about the impact and influence of computers and the Internet on society, for example, computerized classrooms and libraries. He claims that the Internet and computer are not daily necessities and cannot provide a richer or better life. He also implies that people today rely on computers too much and take craftsmanship for granted. He uses his own daily life experience as examples to show the readers that computers and the Internet are helpful and useful tools, but there are also some downsides of using these tools. One interesting argument that he talks about is why libraries should not be computerized and on-line. One point that Stoll makes in his book is that people should treat and think of computers and the Internet as tools that help us to achieve our goals, not treat them as the ONLY tools that are available. Examine the penmanship in younger generation and you will see Stoll's viewpoint. Overall, this book gives me several eye-opening perspectives and ideas regarding computers and the Internet. I felt I've been brainwashed after reading this book because I would never think of computers and the Internet as Stoll did. However, Stoll is a little too pessimistic about the information highway. Many things have changed during the last 7 years and it would be great if Stoll continue his thought or argument on this topic.
Rating:
Summary: Good but not great
Review: Stoll wrote one of the best spy books of the information age before anyone knew that it could even happen. This follow up is very interesting reading, and I agree with most of it. The best part is his feeling to turn off the computers in schools and go back to the personal interaction of learing. That is so true, we are harming our children for the future.
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Summary: An enjoyable book about the Internet
Review: Silicon Snake Oil is written by Clifford Stoll a Berkeley astronomer with extensive experience in the Internet and its development. It is written in a non-technical style that makes it very easy and enjoyable to read, but contains a tremendous amount of information about the Internet. His comments cover email, computerized education, bulletin boards, user groups and a wide range of computer topics. He provides a comprehensive analysis on why libraries should not be replaced by computer online information services. For those with extensive computer experience the books provides nostalgic memories of our problems we have had with computers and the Internet. For those new to computers it provides a different historical prospective to wonders of the informational super highway. For both it puts computers and the Internet into prospective, that computers and the Internet should not replace original thought, penmanship, letter writing, libraries or card catalogs, but should be just an additional tool. The books 1995 publishing makes its vocabulary a little dated, but the concepts are very relevant to today's computers users. I feel reading this book will increase the value I get out of technology and help me keep it in perspective.
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Summary: Endless tirade without constructive suggestions
Review: Being absolutely fascinated by the author's book "Cuckoo's Egg", I was extremely disappointed by this book. Even I agree with a lot of opinions the author holds in this book, the author portraits things almost in an apocalyptic way. I disagree with that. I believe a lot of problem in the information superhighway and society can and must be fixed. However, it takes some positivism, and constructive suggestions to do so. To focus on the negatives will definately not change anything. It took me about 9 month to read the book from cover to cover, because it created such a negative mood in me, that I could only read a couple of pages and needed some positive couter balance. I believe this book is not worth the time to read it.
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Summary: Increasingly Dated effort
Review: Stoll's book is showing the effect of time. While much of the info may have been cutting edge when written, it has now been surpassed by events. I found little logical flow in the book and it ends with a disappointing and self serving Usenet discussion about an earlier book he wrote that lends little to the book's thesis.
Rating:
Summary: Let the Buyer Beware
Review: Cliff Stoll writes in such an engaging folksy style that you want to spend the evening with him at a cozy neighborhood restaurant. Not a cyber-cafe, mind you, but somewhere in the "real" world. Stoll likes technology. He is no modern day Luddite. He does, however, dare to ask some hard questions. Why, for instance, are we spending so much money on putting computers in the classrooms when there is no proof that they will magically turn our kids into scholars, but just might turn them into high-tech goof offs? Stoll wants people to do a cost-benefit analysis before computerizing systems that may work just fine the way they are. You may not agree with all his objections, but it is worth hearing them. One downside is that a lot of the technical information is already very dated after five years, but this does add weight to his argument that there are many hidden costs (maintenance being one of them) when you decide to computerize the classroom.
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